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Popular virtual world opens operations in Brazil and launches first non-English version

Sao Paulo, Brazil - November 12, 2008 – After three years of entertaining millions of children and families around the world in English, the popular snow-covered virtual world of Club Penguin (clubpenguin.com) has now launched in Portuguese. It's the first time Club Penguin, a virtual playground where children can explore, play games and interact with friends in the guise of colorful penguin avatars, has been available in a language other than English.

Club Penguin has developed a reputation as a trusted provider of safe family fun due to its rich, imaginative play environment, aggressive filtering and live moderators who monitor chat and activity on the site and work to prevent the sharing of inappropriate or personally identifiable information.

One of Club Penguin's founders, executive vice president and general manager of Disney Online Studios, Lane Merrifield, is in Brazil to announce the launch of the Portuguese version of the virtual world and the initiation of operations in Sao Paulo.

"We already have a dedicated fan base in Brazil that's been asking us to create a Portuguese version of the virtual world for a long time and we're excited to now be able to give those fans what they want," says Merrifield. "Personal support and live moderation play a big role in our ability to protect the interests and online safety of our audience, so we felt it was also important to set up a local operation to provide support."

The operation in Sao Paulo will offer Brazilian players more timely and responsive customer support, the ability to pay in local currency, and moderation by a highly-trained team that understands the language and unique cultural references of the local audience.

"That Portuguese is the first non-English version of Club Penguin is, without doubt, a milestone that makes The Walt Disney Company in Brazil proud. Club Penguin's commitment to providing safe family fun and an interactive online experience are totally aligned with Disney values and we're confident this launch will be a big success," states Marcos Rossett, general manager, The Walt Disney Company (Brazil).

Club Penguin contains no advertising and is free to use and enjoy, although a subscription membership provides access to additional features that enhance the play experience. A parent's e-mail address is required to create a penguin, and parental permission is required in order to activate an account and allow play within the virtual world. Parents can also create their own account which allows them to log on and view their child's account history, change their child's password, choose a different chat mode and set the time of day and duration of their child's visits to Club Penguin.

Now, with the addition of a Portuguese version of Club Penguin, players have the option of choosing to play in English or Portuguese when they log on.

"One of our goals with Club Penguin has always been to create a place where children from around the world can come together to interact, play and learn from each other," says Merrifield. "We can't wait to introduce additional languages and make Club Penguin even more accessible to other non-English-speaking children around the world in the coming months."

The Walt Disney Company (Brazil) launched its operations in January, 1994 and since then has provided support in an integrated manner to the different lines of business, including Disney Studios, Disney Media Networks, Disney Home Entertainment, Disney Consumer Products, Disney Records, Disney Interactive Studios and Disney Digital Media.

About Club Penguin Club Penguin (www.clubpenguin.com), a division of Disney Online and part of the Disney Interactive Media Group, provides one of the largest and fastest-growing virtual worlds for children. Club Penguin is free to use and enjoy, however a subscription membership provides access to additional features that enhance the play experience. The Club Penguin virtual world, which contains no third-party advertising, works to provide a fun and safe online experience through the use of sophisticated filtering technology and a team of highly trained moderators. Club Penguin is headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada and maintains operations in Brighton, England, Sydney, Australia and Sao Paulo, Brazil.